Group Condemns Attempt to Demarket Enugu Int’l Airport, Calls for Investigation

The Enugu Good Governance Group has frowned at what it described as a deliberate attempt to demarket the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, saying it was unfounded and an unhealthy rivalry taken too far.

The group, which was reacting to a report, which claimed that the runway of the airport was in disrepair and that the facility may be shut down to avert plane crash, however, commended the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, for the timely rebuttal of the fake report.

The group vented its displeasure via a statement issued by its Director of Communications, Mr. Chuks Onovo, on Wednesday.

“We wish to commend FAAN for refuting the fake news, and clarifying that the Enugu runway is in good order, and, in fact, among the best in the country.

“This claim, as FAAN has clarified, is very much untrue. We have since established that the said publication was the handiwork of unhealthy competitors in a federal setting, who are determined to demarket the Enugu airport to shore up their own fortunes.

“This is indeed a most unfortunate and irresponsible claim and disposition, especially given the fact that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport’s runway is one of the most modern and qualitative in the country now. This followed the approval  and release of the sum of N10bn by the Federal Government in October 2019 for the total rehabilitation of the runway, taxi way, lead way, state-of-the art instrument landing system, Communication VSAT and Very High Frequency (VHF) radio communication, airfield lighting, among others.

“Currently, there is even an effort to build a second runway, while the collaboration between the Enugu State Government and the Federal Government that would see the former take steps to complete and operationalise the international terminal and also construct a cargo terminal at the airport is at an advanced stage.

“So, it beats imagination why a group of people would conspire to run the airport down and seek to discourage passengers and airline operators for their own selfish interests,” the statement said.

The group went further to call on the National Security Adviser, (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to investigate the false claim with a view to bringing the culprits to book.

“Airports are both national security and economic assets, and this untruth as well as willful demarketing of the Enugu Airport qualifies for both security and economic sabotage, hence should be thoroughly investigated by the Office of the NSA with a view to fishing out and meting out justice to the culprits,” the Enugu Good Governance Group further said.

FAAN had on Tuesday refuted the report, maintaining that there was no plan whatsoever to shut down the airport either before Christmas or in the foreseen future.  

The assurance was given by the Manager of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and Regional Manager of FAAN for the South East, Mr. Hillary Umunna, who declared that ‘the airport is in the best shape’, noting that regular maintenance work was always done to sustain the standard attained by the runway in August 2020.